Tanzanian media focus on faltering Burundi peace talks

Dar es Salaam- Tanzania (PANA) -- A section of the Tanzanian press this week carried a meaningful debate on the faltering Burundi peace talks as well as the need for political tolerance within Tanzania itself.
"Peace is so precious that it is necessary for every mwananchi (citizen) to uphold and nurture it at any cost," writes the Guardian concerning the situation in Tanzania.
Taking this into consideration, the police too are duty bound to act within limits within which their actions are not likely to cause a breach of the peace, the paper adds.
The paper based its comment on incessant accusations especially from government critics who complain of unwarranted harassment from the law enforces.
But for a force that had seen only one transition - from being a colonial instrument of coercion to being a coercive machinery of a one party state, the police could be forgiven for its action, writes another privately owned daily, The African.
It says that what the force actually needs to be schooled in matters concerning democracy so as to free it from monolithic orientation triggered by years of service during the country's mono-party years.
In another commentary, The Guardian disagrees with politicians who unleash uncivil tongues, incite supporters to take the government head on.
This followed a call by the chairman of the opposition Civic United Front, Ibrahim Lipumba, who reportedly told supporters of his party to ready for physical confrontation should talks between it and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi collapse.
The Guardian disagrees with Lipumba and appeals to all political parties to make peace the first item of their agenda.
The Kiswahili press too took a swipe at Lipumba and his fellow party officials.
One of these, Majira asked: "Is this the democracy for the future?" Meanwhile, talking about the Great Lakes Region, The African hopes that restoration of peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi could attract big volumes of trade between the war torn countries and Tanzania.
Also commenting on the issue of peace, the government owned Daily News had a dressing down for President Pierre Buyoya in relation to Burundi's peace process.
"Buyoya not keen on peace," the paper wrote after Burundi army officers turned down an invitation to attend last Thursday's meeting in Arusha with pro-Tutsi political parties to discuss the country's interim leadership.
The army was a vital component of the meeting, the paper said, adding that their decision to stay away "can only be interpreted as a calculated move to prolong Buyoya's hold onto the reigns of power of the war torn country.
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